The Green Ghost of Ghoulish Castle
by newbienovelistRD
Summary: The Hauntleys and their friends plan to enjoy a vacation at one of the spookiest castles in Transylvania. But things become not so fun when the Hauntleys go missing and a very unusual guest arrives.


**Just a story that's been on my mind lately. Please be kind and no flames please.**

* * *

"Here we are, girls!" Boris Hauntley said. The Hauntleys landed their broomsticks in one of the most remote and spookiest places in Transylvania. "Welcome to Ghoulish Woods!"

Vampirina Hauntley took in her surroundings. Eerie fog rolled through the barren, scraggly trees. Thorny bushes with long vines that could reach out and grab you. A flock of bats flew by the full moon. "It's beautiful!"

"Beautiful?!" Bridget said in disbelief. "It's downright spooky!"

"I know! Isn't it glorious?" said Oxana Hauntley.

"Yeah, it's a monster wonderland." Poppy said, a bit nervous. Even though she was best friends with a vampire, even she had to admit that the Ghoulish Woods was pretty scary.

Miranda shivered from the chilly air. "I should have expected this when the Hauntleys won this free vacation."

Vampirina smiled. "There! Ghoulish Castle!" She pointed to a tall hill with a winding path that lead to the creepiest castle the human girls have ever seen!

"Whoa!" Miranda breathed.

"W-We're going in there?!" Bridget gulped. "I'm not going in there!"

"Don't be scared, Bridget. Ghoulish Castle is one of the most famous castles in Transylvania!" said Boris. "We're the luckiest vampires in the world to win a trip like this and invite you girls to come!"

Miranda looked around. "Great..."

"We better get a move on!" said Oxana. The family flew on their broomsticks to Ghoulish Castle.

"I'm just glad we didn't have to walk all the way up that crazy path." Miranda said as they landed in front of the castle. "I enjoy a good walk, but not up a hill like that!"

Bridget tilted her head all the way up at Ghoulish Castle. It was even scarier than Spookelton Castle! Who knows what kind of creepy, kooky creatures were inside?! Bridget yelped when a hand touched her shoulder. Luckily, it was Poppy's hand.

"Don't worry, Bridget." said Poppy. "We've been to all kinds of spooky places like this. What are we going to find? A bunch of dust and cobwebs?"

"And maybe some ghosts!" Boris said eagerly. "We'll probably see the scariest kind!"

"Oooh! I do hope so!" Oxana was trembling with excitement.

"I don't..." Miranda said quietly. Despite being best friends with various monsters, Miranda still had a lingering fear of ghosts. And Ghoulish Castle looked like the perfect place for all kinds of scary ghosts!

"What was that?" asked Oxana.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing." Miranda insisted. "Anyway, let's get this vacation started."

Vampirina knocked on the massive castle door. "Hello? We're the Hauntleys!" Curious, she gave the door a push and it swung right open. The little vampire went inside as the rest of her friends and family followed. "Helloooooo?"

Vampirina's "hello" echoed through the entire castle. "I think we're the only ones here."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." said Miranda. She leaned against an old picture on the wall, tilting it out of place.

Just then, a trap door activated below the Hauntleys' feet. They all fell through and the trap door closed just before the human girls spun around to see their vampire friends missing.

Miranda gasped. "Vampirina?! She's gone!"

"And her parents!" Poppy shouted. "They're gone!"

Bridget screamed. "This castle is haunted! In a bad way! A very, very bad way!" She ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked up tight. "Oh, no! We're trapped!"

Miranda tried to keep the girls calm. "Okay, girls! Just take it easy!" But it was hard for her to keep calm herself.

"Take it easy?!" Bridget squeaked. "Vampirina and her parents are gone! We could be next!"

"Not if we're not careful!" said Poppy. "The Hauntleys have to be somewhere in this castle. If we stay together as a group, we can find them!"

"Good idea, Poppy!" Miranda felt more confident now. "Alright, gang. Let's move out!"

The girls ventured together into the dark, spooky castle. In their minds, they all voiced their concerns over the Hauntleys.

_"What could have happened to them?!"_ Miranda thought. _"Please be okay, Hauntleys!"_

_"Oh, Vee. I wish you were here right now!"_ Bridget said in her head. _"You're one the bravest, greatest people I know! Please be okay!"_

_"Vampirina, I'll tear this whole castle apart just to find you!"_ Poppy's thoughts were filling with hope and determination

"Look at all these rooms! How are we suppose to find the Hauntleys?!" said Bridget.

Miranda looked around. "Well, if we each check a room, we'll cover more ground." said Miranda. "I'll take this room. Poppy, that room." She pointed to the door next to her. "Bridget, you take that room." She pointed to the other door.

Bridget gulped. It was a very loud gulp.

"Remember, the Hauntleys need us." Poppy reminded us. With that in mind, Bridget managed to remain calm. The girls ventures into the rooms.

Bridget wandered around the dark, empty bedroom. "V-V-Vee? Are you in here?" she called out weakly. She spotted a closed closet door. Somehow, Bridget managed to muster up enough courage to open the closet.

There was nothing inside, especially nothing scary. Sighing with relief, Bridget turned to leave. The moment she did, a transparent figure came in through the ceiling. Bridget's eyes grew with horror. The figure was a green creature wearing a big blue cape. He flashed his orange eyes that stared right through Bridget's soul.

Bridget let out her most terrified scream and ran right out the room, slamming the door shut. Poppy and Miranda immediately ran over to their terrified friend.

"Bridget! What is it?!" Miranda asked before she gasped in horror. She saw what looked like a green ghost phase right through the wall. The girls looked at the greenish creature with bulging eyes.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! A G-G-GHOST!" Miranda screamed. Bridget and Poppy threw back their heads and screamed. They took off running in sheer terror.

The so-called ghost sighed, but he had to expect those reactions. This isn't the first time his appearance had frightened someone. However, he knew exactly how to handle this kind of problem.

* * *

The girls were so scared, they all became separated and went in different directions. Miranda was running through a hallway, trying to find another way out. The image of that green ghost haunted her mind. It was the spookiest ghost she ever saw!

"All the doors are locked! We're trapped!" Miranda clutched her head in panic. "That ghost is gonna get us all!"

_"I'm not a ghost, Miranda."_ a voice said in Miranda's head.

"Huh?!" Miranda spun around. But no one was there. She rubbed her ears and knocked the side of her head.

_"Your hearing is fine. I'm speaking to you with my mind."_

"WHAT?!" Miranda was on the brink of a panic attack. "What is happening?!"

Suddenly, the green ghost appeared before Miranda. The girl screamed as the ghost stretched his arms out and wrapped them around Miranda's arms, holding them up high. Miranda screamed as she tried to get free, but it was no use. Her captor was too strong.

"Please, don't be afraid, Miranda." said the green ghost. "My name is J'onn J'onzz. I'm a martian."

"A what?!" Miranda couldn't believe it. "No way! Y-You can't be a-a martian! There's no such thing!"

J'onn gave the girl a withering glare. "You should not have said that." he said in his deepest, most serious voice. Miranda gasped in terror when the martian stretched his hands toward her. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting the worst.

"AH! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO! DON'T TICKLE!" Miranda burst with laugher when she felt his hands tickling her stomach. "OKAY! OKAY! I BELIEVE YOU! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! PLEASE STOP! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

J'onn grinned in success as he freed Miranda. He kept her still as she was weakened by all that laughter. "It never surprises me how effective this tickling weakness is with humans."

Miranda composed herself and looked at the alien with awe. "Wow! So, you really are a...a..."

"A martian." J'onn nodded. "I am indeed."

"But how did you go through the wall?" asked Miranda. "I thought only ghosts can do that."

"So can I." To prove his point, he made himself intangible. Out of curiosity, Miranda slowly put her hand right through his body. "Whoa! That's amazing!" she breathed in awe.

J'onn smiled as Miranda drew her hand back. He became solid and sensed Miranda's fear slowly fading away.

"So, do you live here?" Miranda questioned.

J'onn shook his head. "No, I have been hearing rumors about strange creatures inhabiting this area. I came here to investigate but I heard your thoughts about finding your friends while I was traveling through this forest." J'onn explained.

Miranda looked confused. "Heard our thoughts?" She suddenly gasped. "Oh, yeah! I remember hearing your voice in my head!" Miranda poked the temple of her head. "Does that mean you have psychic powers?!" she asked with feverish excitement.

"I do." J'onn turned his attention to the hallway. "Thanks to them, I can sense two other presences down this hall. Come." He floated down the hall and Miranda followed right behind him. The martian came across a draped window. He pulled back the drape and revealed Poppy and Bridget.

"Boo." J'onn said playfully.

Bridget screamed and held onto Poppy. "The ghost found us!"

"Guys! You're okay!" Miranda hugged her frightened friends. "Way to go, J'onn!"

"J'onn?! Miranda! What's going on?!" asked a very confused Poppy.

Miranda released the girls. "Guys, you are not going to believe this! This is J'onn J'onnz. He's a martian!"

"A what?!" Bridget squealed.

"A martian! He can go through walls and fly and has psychic powers and make his arms all stretchy!" Miranda explained with much enthusiasm. "He's amazing!"

But her friends didn't look amazed. They remained still and silent.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Miranda.

"They still don't trust me." J'onn answered. "Perhaps we should find Vampirina and her parents before anything else."

"Sounds like a plan." Miranda turned to her friends. "So, are you scaredy cats in or out?"

"Anything to get our Vee back." said Poppy.

Bridget was still wary of J'onn, but she wanted the Hauntleys back too. "O-Okay, I'm in. But how are we suppose to find them? This place is huge!" She gasped when she saw J'onn's eyes glow.

J'onn's eyes stopped glowing. "I can see where they are."

"You can?!" asked Poppy.

"Yes, follow me." J'onn said.

The girls followed the martian to the castle library. J'onn went through the walls and a moment later, the bookcase opened to reveal a secret passageway!

"Whoa! A secret passage!" said Poppy.

"Classic haunted house!" said Miranda.

J'onn poked his head through the bookcase. "The Hauntleys are down here."

The three girls went through the secret passage and followed J'onn down a staircase leading further and further into the dark. It was so dark, it was almost impossible to see the next step. Bridget was whimpering in fear. "I really don't like it down-AAAH!" She lost her footing and nearly tumbled down the steps, but J'onn caught her in time.

"Perhaps I can help?" J'onn asked with a gentle smile.

Sensing the trust in his words, Bridget nodded. J'onn effortlessly picked her up and placed the girl on his shoulders.

"Wow! Thanks!" Bridget said, feeling more comfortable with the martian.

"You're welcome." said J'onn.

The four friends kept walking down the steps until they arrived at a single, wooden door. "The Hauntleys are inside." J'onn gently put Bridget down and grabbed the door. A moment later, he ripped it right off it's hinges.

Miranda's eyes grew with wonder. "Whoa! You have super strength too?! Awesome!"

"Very awesome!" said Poppy.

Touched by their praise, J'onn walked into the room. Miranda, Poppy and Bridget gasped when they saw the Hauntleys locked in a prison cell.

"Guys!" Vampirina ran over and gripped the bars to the cell. "Is that you?!"

"VAMPIRINA!" Miranda, Poppy and Bridget screamed as the rushed to their vampire friend.

"Thank ghoulness you girls found us!" said Boris.

"Um, not really, Mr. H." Miranda corrected. "We had some help."

J'onn came out of the darkness. Even the Hauntleys, a family of vampires, were shocked to see the alien. Their shock grew when J'onn grabbed the bars and easily ripped them off the cell.

"Who...or rather, what on Earth are you?!" asked Oxana.

Boris had to adjust his glasses to see J'onn better. "Are you a troll? I've never seen one like you before."

Miranda shook her head. "He's not a troll, Mr. H. Better than that! He's a martian!"

"A...what?!" Vampirina exclaimed.

"I know! Cool, right?!" said Miranda, grinning ear to ear.

J'onn saw the Hauntleys were genuinely confused. "It seems I have a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

Back upstairs, everyone sat in the castle's living room where J'onn explained everything. And the Hauntleys explained everything to him about these 'strange creatures' he's heard about.

"So, you see, J'onn, there are all kinds of monsters living here in Transylvania. But we all live peaceful, normal lives like everyone else." Boris said.

"Except for wicked trolls." Vampirina added. "Those guys are bad news!"

"I still can't believe I activated a trap door and you guys fell right into it!" Miranda buried her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, Miranda. Every haunted castle is bound to have hidden trap door or two." said Oxana. "What really matters is that everyone is alright."

"Yeah," Miranda looked at J'onn. "Sorry if I was so scared of you before, J'onn."

"Me too." said Poppy.

"Me three." said Bridget. "Thank you so much for helping us find the Hauntleys." She and Poppy gave the martian a grateful hug.

Miranda smiled. "Looks like you made some new friends."

"I have indeed." J'onn happily hugged the girls.

"This calls for a celebration!" Boris announced. "Scareberry pies for everyone!"

Everyone let out cheers of excitement except J'onn, who stared blankly. Miranda gently nudged him. "Don't worry. I've had scareberry pie before. It's actually pretty good."

J'onn playfully ruffled Miranda's head. The girl chuckled as J'onn smiled. "I'll take your word for it."


End file.
